Reviews

Troublesome misscommunication is the better title!

I really regret watching this drama!! It had so much potential..
The first 3 episodes were interesting but started to go downhill afterwards. yet I really hoped that the last episode makes it worthwhile but turns out it's just a frustrating shit show!

If you are here for romance, just run.. run far away from this mess.

ml's acting is stiff, fl is not bad.
they lack chemistry.
to be honest 2fl didn't fit the role. she did not look cute at all (considering how much emphasis was put on her cuteness).. her acting was meh as well.

without spoiling anything I could say that Some of the problems are rooted in fl's insecurity but ml's actions does leave room for assumptions!
If only the leads communicated....

the drama makes it look like fl is the problem with her insecurity and overthinking yet ignoring how ml's actions are as well a problem. (his actions are cheater-coded!)
why do they always keep fl in the dark? then blame her for becoming restless.
even when she voices her worries it doesn't get dealt with properly.

the drama title refers to a sentence that escalated the misunderstandings to the max! troublesome fiancee.. yet in my opinion their whole engagement was troublesome! not for them but for me! watching the painfully easy to solve issues turn into some big unsolvable problem. then blame it on fl!

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Marriage of convenience with great amount of spice, sweetness & emotional connection!

I came across this drama via subreddit CShortDramas. A member there wrote a glowing review of it so my interest was piqued. I wasn't familiar with the leads but upon checking I realised I had seen He Yi Ting before, in Zhang Shan - Cao Tian Kai first collab drama. I liked her in that drama. Anyway I enjoyed this drama a lot!

What I liked:
1. Romance - Damn, their first intimate encounter was 🔥 and the morning after was even hotter. It was obvious that ML was into FL from that scene. I enjoyed watching their multilayered relationship: boss-employee, husband-wife, secret couple. I was moved when FL admitted to liking ML - I wish ML had openly confessed to FL about his love for her.
2. Acting - Great performances by both leads and the actresses who played ML's grandma and FL's mother. I could see hands of ML's grandma trembled when she got the shocking news. I almost shed a tear. Also well done to actress who FL's mother for having a "meek" exterior but selfish and nasty personality.
3. Styling - I really liked the outfits for FL and ML. Thank you for not giving the conventional CEO outfits.
4. Main characters - Both of them were likeable. I liked FL because she stood up for herself when bullied. I understood her reason for wanting their marriage to be kept a secret. I liked ML too because he was exuded a cool, calm personality. His sulking moments cracked me up - it was endearing.
5. Supporting characters - I loved ML's grandma because she was wise & empathetic. I also liked FL's two close colleagues and ML's assistant. I didn't like Zhou Chen's persistence because it was harassment but he grew on me.
6. Storytelling - This drama covers tropes such as marriage of convenience, secret relationship, office romance. Plot wise nothing new but I enjoyed how the story progressed and concluded.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - I must say the biggest antagonist to me is FL's mother. She gave birth to her but was too gullible and stupid to listen to her husband and stepdaughter. Both of them were nasty. Bai Xin Xin is another typical antagonist - a delusional character who couldn't accept No.

Favourite scene
When FL told ML that she had started to like him

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A Beautifully Performed Story That Rarely Lets the Light In

This drama is undeniably well-made, with powerful performances and a gripping storyline but it’s not one that made me smile or laugh across its 12 episodes. Instead, it evoked a constant sense of fear, sadness, and unease about what might happen next. I found myself constantly hoping for even a glimpse of happiness for Ah Tang and Tang Yi Xun.

While I personally appreciated the drama for its talented cast especially Zhou Yi Ran and the lead actress the script felt overwhelmingly heavy. There should’ve been at least a sliver of light amidst all the darkness. Yes, Tang Yi Xun and Ye Hai Tang are each other’s rays of sunshine, and that was beautiful in itself. But as a viewer, I couldn’t shake the sadness I felt for them throughout.

Because of that, I wouldn’t rewatch this series or recommend it to anyone who prefers uplifting or light-hearted dramas. If you're already in a low mood, I’d suggest skipping this one. But if you're a fan of the lead actors, their performances might still make it worth watching.

That said, please remember this: “There will definitely be a ray of sunshine in your darkest moments.”

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A beautiful, compelling watch!

Many people would assume this drama is purely romance based on its synopsis or title. But nope! This drama has so much more to offer that you’ll forget the one thing where it fails in the romance department: an actual kiss scene.

Be Passionately In Love is a whole rounded show which I ended up loving despite the initial prejudice I had. Initially I stayed away from this drama because of the female lead’s alleged no-kissing clause, and I remember thinking to myself, “how could that be? one big aspect of this show is the physical intimacy between the main couple. not doing any kiss scene is a disrespect to the novel”.

But you know what? This drama worked for me! Maybe I’m just a sucker for young, pure love romance, or the amazing OSTs, or maybe it’s the convincing acting from Anyu/Haocun, or the lack of unnecessary toxicity from external factors. In any case, there’s many aspects about this show that tugged my heart.

I enjoyed the family dynamics in this show. It centred around compassion, forgiveness, acceptance. There was this scene where XZ looked at her father and noticed his white hairs, likewise there was a similar scene where CLZ noticed the same on his stepdad. They realized how their fathers were aging and decided to be more compassionate towards them. There was also this whole identity ordeal surrounding CLZ, and despite past conflicts or misunderstandings, he chose to let go of resentment and embraced it with compassion and forgiveness instead.

I also loved how this drama captured the essence of wholesome friendships without relying on unnecessary conflicts. Same thing could also be said for the relationship between XZ and CLZ. The talking or flirting stage in the beginning was fun, and witnessing how that casual connection transitioned to a deeper bond was mesmerizing to watch.

Another aspect that I appreciated from this drama was how inspirational it was. It featured a female lead who cared about her goals and not just her romance with the male lead. I love how it inspired me to wake up early (the FL wakes up at 4am!) and work hard to get what I want to achieve. Yes, XZ got a boyfriend at a young age but it did not make her forget her responsibilities to her studies. The FL worked hard to achieve everything she got. Even when she got together with the ML, she was still focused in her studies. One of my fave scenes was when XZ gave her speech in her high school at the end, saying:
“We can be insignificant, but we can also be great”
“As long as the sun rises, we will always have the future”
“In those rainy days, we can wring out our clothes. It can still go on”
“In the end, it is us who choose the world, and not the world that chooses us”

Having only 24 eps also means that this drama is not that long, which means there are little to no unnecessary side plots. Even if there is, e.g. side couple, they’re still interesting to watch.

Last but not the least, the acting of the leads was spectacular. I realized how Haocun was perfect to act as Xu Zhi. Her aloof yet soft hearted spot has been acted so well. She was great, but I still think that the real magic of why this drama worked for me was Anyu. He shined in this show! Anyu’s acting truly embodies CLZ – whether it’s joy, fear, love, doubts, longing – everything from his eyes to his body language feels natural and genuine.

Overall, this has been a compelling watch that combines emotional depth with stunning storytelling and visuals. It’s the kind that stays with you after the very last episode, not just for how it ended, but for what it made you feel in its entirety.

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Never thought I would be tempted into watching a drama like this

It was more focused on the Female leads struggles as she tries to leave her despicable cheating husband. The struggles were so beautifully and her relationship with the mistress was also an eyeopener.

The actors did a great job, making each moment worth the watch.

As much as I like it, I am not a fan of the direction the story took. Despite her trying handle things calmly, her trash of a husband tried to gaslight her and make it seem like it was all her fault. He even kidnapped their daughter who he rarely makes time for.

I wanted this to be more empowering for her but it lacked in that way.

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too many subplots, not enough time.

i was really excited for harmony secret since lmsy is one of my fave couples, and i loved the idea of having a strong supporting couple too. unfortunately, the show tried to do way too much in too little time, and it ended up dragging the whole thing down. even the main plot (the auction) started feeling confusing by the end. even as a big lmsy fan, im surprised to see everyone giving this series a 10…

the pacing was the biggest issue — they crammed in so many subplots that almost all of them fell short. it needed either more episodes or a tighter focus on just the main storyline. lmsy did an amazing job with what they had though. their chemistry is always off the charts and they still remain some of the best girl kissers out there lol. lillybelle were also really good, and i’d love to see them lead a series soon, but their development felt rushed. their reconciliation in the finale especially didn’t feel natural, and their relationship leaned way too heavily on mae & ai’s instead of standing on its own.

production-wise, no complaints. the visuals, ost, styling, and cinematography were flawless as always. everything looked amazing. but the finale? completely disappointing. the father’s sudden change of heart, the villain and everything he did, the bidding auction, the awkward “love scene,” the unnecessary second breakup ten minutes before the ending, and ai feeling like a totally different character — it was all rushed and unbearable at times.

my least favorite part was how many subplots went nowhere (mae’s father faking being sick, ai’s mother hiding, ai’s father threatening yam, ai’s initial assertiveness in pursuing mae). so much setup, zero payoff.

overall, harmony secret had great acting and flawless production but was let down by poor pacing, wasted subplots, and a finale that felt messy and rushed.

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Wasted Potential

I think the plot actually has a lot of potential but the execution falls flat. Mookda has the most character development which is funny because she's the villain. I expected a typical one dimensional villain. Phumin and Ployrung are such one dimensional characters and I feel like Bua and New don't really shine in these characters. Phumin and Ployrung as a couple sometimes doesn't look convincing. There were scenes that they looked like they just met yesterday lol They're just 2 nice people with personality of a cardboard stand, 15 episodes is way too long, could have been just 8 episodes. The confrontation with Mookda in the cave is always the same thing with same outcome. I think the backstory of their past lives are interesting.

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Noona-dongsaeng done VERY right

This is my new favourite noona-dongsaeng romance. Or maybe that should be jia-didi romance. In the end I scored it a 10 because there was nothing substantially wrong with it, and it delivered a near-perfect blend of emotion and realism that left me feeling completely satisfied at the end. No makjang (often a plague in TW Dramas), minimal histrionics, and lots of real feeling. Several times it skirted landmines I expected it to hit, impressing me each time.
The Chinese remake Sunshine By My Side was very good, but completely different and lacking almost everything that this drama supplied. If you want a Drama almost exclusively focused on a woman succeeding professionally despite toxic Confucian chauvinism in both her personal and professional life, and with dialogue that ruthlessly skewers that mindset, watch the C drama. If you want a not dissimilar message presented more quietly and with the addition of emotion, warmth and romance - and quite a lot of humour - watch the original.

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Messy plotting not really redeemed by good actors

It felt like they tried to jam a full length plot into a mini, then had to cut out so much it was completely random at times. Even the always excellent Yang Ze was not able to fully save this one (though he made the middle third very good). Such a shame because I was really looking forward to this one bringing the KIAR pair together again.

There were some charming bits, like the second couple and the MLs parents. But there were also the completely inconsistent plots that looped on themselves, making the characters seem really dumb.

Giving it an overly generous 7/10 for cute cat moments, some lovely secondary characters, and Yang Ze.

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Brilliant, underrated gem

I'm going to have a hard time moving on from this one, it's now my second fave drama after Nirvana in Fire. I loved the way they handled the history while giving us a fictional take on the Three Kingdoms period that isn't all dark and grim. I braced myself for a lot more sadness than I ended up getting which is a relief. There were deaths, but I think they made sense and they weren't the kind where you know the writers are just trying to just use deaths for shock and angst.

Overall, I think what really divides opinions of this drama is audience expectations of the male lead (ML). If you're expecting something like Nirvana in Fire or even something like The Double where the leads are always 10 steps ahead of the villains, never panic, or never make mistakes, you probably will not even finish the drama. The first 17-20 episodes have the ML evade the bad guys, but barely and often with sacrifices. It's a constant Trolley Problem: sacrificing the few for the greater good, or insisting on saving the few at a potential higher cost. It can be frustrating watching him insist you can have both but still ending with casualties. Even I got frustrated but thankfully I stuck it out because it gets better. He doesn't fully accept his role as the emperor and grow into his own until around ep 20 with the Guandu arc: after that, it's a delight to see him win against his enemies without betraying his original heart. He keeps his moral compass but is able to use his own wisdom and foresight to handle things his way rather than get pushed around as a puppet as he was in the capital in the first arc. Honestly he's kinda badass after that, I loved seeing the confident emperor hitting his stride.

Personally I disagree with some reviewers who said the characters don't have development except the Empress. I think many of the characters grow or change. Very few characters are one-dimensional. Over the course of the drama, you start to see that many of his enemies are not one-dimensional devils and eventually are won over by his wisdom and kindness. He lights the flames in their heart and reminds them of their original values of caring for the will of the people, things they slowly lost sight of as they followed Cao Cao who himself once had those ideals but abandoned them for gain. People I despised in the beginning, I grew to admire by the end. People I hoped would not change, did for the worse (well, mainly just one, but if you knew the history then you knew he would have to by the end).

(**spoilers!!!!!!**)

I also disagree with the reviewers who think the end was pointless with the emperor abdicating and that he should have done it earlier. Besides the fact that it had to follow the history of Emperor Xian abdicating and Cao Pi ascending to establish the short Wei Dynasty, the ML did not abdicate until after he was able to get the Central Plains to a place where it was much more peaceful and unified. He explained his reasons perfectly in the last episode when talking to Sima Yi, so I don't know if people just ignored that conversation and the peace that the emperor had been able to bring before he stepped down, or what. He long realized that what was most important was the well-being of the people, the title of the dynasty and ruling family name isn't what's important. Cao Pi probably wasn't a great ruler but at least he had Sima Yi at the helm, who bided his time to be rid of the Caos. I also loved the way that the emperor stepped down and was loved by all, and Cao Pi finally realized his ambition but the victory was ultimately empty. I think if you weren't paying attention to the story you could see it as cruelty winning with the Cao family ascending, but I think this story actually did a good job of showing how kindness isn't weakness, and how it was ultimately it was the emperor's selflessness kindness that brought great prosperity and peace to the land in its last years. Selfish ambition like that of Cao Pi and Cao Cao will ruin you, make your allies abandon you, and put you in the history books as crooks and demons., and their short-lived Wei Dynasty fell shortly thereafter to the Jin Dynasty of the Sima family who ended the Three Kingdoms period.

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what a waste of really good idea

I am not happy about this drama because it really did not deliver. The beginning of the story has flashbacks to the modern times and ancient times but that is all. Nothing included in the plot, nothing explained. And the same flashbacks at the end. Like what the fudge??? I like both actors in lead but their story, even though it had a great potential, really was neither here nor there. The FL character was written like an imbecile, which I had a problem with because she could have been a much better one, but alas, this low budget thingy did not give us any chance to really care for the people in it. The villain was wooden and straight from cartoons. The 2ML was such a powerful presence yet completely underutilized. The 2nd couple was actually really cute, but then the whole cat demon thingy was reduced to a caricature. I am not sure if it deserves 7 points but I am writing this because after that bait beginning (with the leads on the motorcycle and in republican China which was awesome) I am left with "really??? what did I just watch???". If this was an inside joke of the makers of previous dramas with these actors, then it was really poorly executed and did not entice me to watch any of them. How would we even know that there were other dramas about this couple???
The screen writer and director need to go back to the drawing board and make it consistent story telling of two lovers across the time who sacrifice themselves for the sake of showing others that love between humans and demons is possible.

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why are we running...?

i've decided to drop this series for now. i'm definitely open to returning to it some day, but at this moment, i can't see it being worth my time to watch 7 more episodes of this. it's way too fast paced, yet it seems to drag at the same time. it's repetitive, boring, and has no original qualities. emphasis on repetitive. why have i seen the same scene of them chasing each other like, 5 times now? this is getting really draining. the actors are cute, sure, but the characters don't have a whole lot going on as individuals. they're fun as an ensemble of friends but none of them stand out. maybe my hopes were just too high, but i feel as though i've been severely let down.

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